We were lucky to catch up with Amber Despain recently and have shared our conversation below.

Amber, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Stories have been a part of my life from the time I was barely old enough to walk. My dad always loved to share stories of me taking hold of his pinky, leading him to a spot on the floor, and indicating that I wanted him to sit down and read a book with me. To use a phrase I heard my daughter say, I would disappear into the words of the story and in the connection with my dad. As I grew so did my love for reading and writing stories. I wrote many little stories and always wanted to write a book. When I became an adult, I got busy with life. I started a teaching career and and built a family. Writing took a major backseat.

It wasn’t until 2019 when Kate DiCamillo came to do a book signing at our local Barnes and Noble that I began to think about writing again. Listening to her experiences as an author really struck a chord with me and inspired me. The time was right to start thinking about it. I left that author signing determined to write a book. I even knew who my characters were going to be! After a couple of years of pondering on ideas, two years ago I dove into the process of research and writing. Since that day my ideas and writing process have evolved and gained some depth. Learning about writing and working on my book has been remarkably fulfilling and I’m looking forward to what the future holds!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Amber Despain. I am a former early childhood and elementary special education teacher who loves reading and writing books and stories. I am in the process of writing my first book – a middle grade historical fiction mystery. It has been a fun, evolutionary process for me to develop the characters and the story.

This year, along with writing the book, I started a blog called Stories Create Moments. I see power in the ability books and stories have to connect us to each other…family, friends, strangers, and the larger world around us. I wanted to take a deep dive into people’s experiences of how books and stories have achieved this in their lives. While the blog is in its infancy, I have been able to interview a few remarkable people and learn their stories.

Everyone has an underlying value base for why they do what they do. For me, as a reader, writer, mom and former teacher, I truly believe that stories create moments and those moments shape our lives. I see so much value in using books and stories to make connections with others. Whether it’s through family history stories that connect generations, an Agatha Christie mystery in a middle school classroom that connects middle school students from different backgrounds, deep discussions analyzing Lord of the Rings or an Eric Carle picture book read with your toddler, stories have the power to unify and connect.

I study and share books and resources on my Instagram page and blog to help teachers and parents use books and stories to create connections with each other and the world around them. I share experiences from people who are intentional about using books and stories to create connections with other people. I share research-based information related to reading.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

There are really two things that have been the most rewarding for me on this journey of working toward being in the creative writing industry.

The first is the knowledge and depth I have gained as a person. In doing research about other people and places for a writing project, you learn a lot about history and the world beyond your own community. It helps the world feel a little smaller and more connected. Learning about developing characters has taught me more about other people. Studying about how to create character arcs has given me insight into the growth arc each of us goes through in our own lives, many times over. It’s actually given me knowledge and insight into how to teach my kids about personal growth in their growing up years.

The second aspect of pursuing this has been the connections I’ve been able to start making with other writers. No one understands a writer like another writer! It’s fun to have those friendships.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

As I’ve been immersed in this process for the last couple of of years, I have encountered some fabulous resources. My favorite writing resources are both Save the Cat books written by Jessica Brody, The Happy Writer Podcast by Marissa Meyer, the Essential Guide to Writing a Novel podcast by James Thayer, and writingmastery.com. These have been my most valuable writing resources as I have pursued this path.

Contact Info:

• Website: amberjoywrites.blogspot.com
• Instagram: amberjoywrites

Image Credits
David Despain Amber Despain